


Star Vs. The Forces of Evil Season 3 Rewrite: Lunar Eclipse Edition Or, Moon is Now The Villain

by PunchRockgroin



Category: Star vs. The Forces Of Evil
Genre: Canon Rewrite, F/M, Season Rewrite
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-09
Updated: 2018-10-09
Packaged: 2019-07-28 19:29:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16248317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PunchRockgroin/pseuds/PunchRockgroin
Summary: I like Star Vs. I had problems with Season 3. I wrote a synopsis for an alternate version of Season 3. Moon is the villain this time, it's pretty cool.





	1. Season 3a

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you’re reading this, I can assume a couple things about you. Firstly, you like Star Vs. The Forces of Evil. Secondly, you found the third season to be somewhat lacking. I personally enjoyed Season 3, but I think it was a step down from the previous season. After some discussion, I decided to write an “alternate universe” synopsis of Season 3 that does a better job of furthering the character arcs of Season 2 while continuing to evolve the show and explore its central themes.
> 
> This isn’t a “what’s wrong with Season 3” post, but I do want to explain in brief what were the key issues I wanted to remedy:
> 
> -An overabundance of stuff. Season 3 had far too many characters and subplots and so much time was spent developing these that very little actually happened in the season until well into the second half.
> 
> -A weak antagonist. While I didn’t hate Meteora, she lacks the intrigue of Toffee and the development of Ludo. I like the idea of the sins of past Butterflys coming back to haunt them, but I think the story is more interesting when it’s about the results of the actions of living, present characters than long-dead ones.
> 
> -A lack of attention to the core dynamics of the show. Star and Tom’s romance gets two episodes of development early on and is then shoved into the background. Ditto the tension between her and Marco. The Star/Marco relationship is the very core of the show- even if this season isn’t about it, it should still be a major component instead of what felt like just another subplot.
> 
> Meanwhile, here are the rules I set for myself:
> 
> -I can only change something if I feel it can’t be tweaked to be compelling. So no discarding things like Star/Marco/Tom love triangle, even if I feel they could have been done better.
> 
> -I can’t introduce any new characters. I may only use canon characters and I may not deviate from their established personalities without significant justification.
> 
> -The plot needs to remain something that Disney could actually put on TV. No graphic murder or whatever.
> 
> To summarize, here are the main changes I made:
> 
> -I cut many of the weaker or less eventful subplots. Glossaryck doesn’t appear in this season. The underdeveloped Kellco dynamic is gone, and in fact Kelly probably doesn’t even appear. The entire conspiracy regarding Festivia no longer exists. Meteora is cut for a better antagonist (see the next bullet point) and Miss Heinous probably doesn’t even appear because I don’t think anyone cared about her after Season 2.
> 
> -Meteora is gone. Taking her place as antagonist is Moon Butterfly. In short, Moon becomes more forceful and authoritarian following the Battle for Mewni, as her hold on the kingdom is weak and she feels she must project strength. This creates a rift between her and Star, one that widens when Star learns some of the dark things her mom did as queen. This eventually leads to Star rising as a rebel against her mother and a climactic showdown between them.
> 
> -There is more attention to the relationship between Star and Marco, with a clear sense of progression. Tom is formally promoted to the third protagonist of the show, receiving a lot more screentime and development, and his dynamics with both Star and Marco are significantly fleshed out. These three are the core characters (along with Moon as the villainess) and so they’re the ones with arcs that intersect and influence one another.
> 
> -Eclipsa is reworked to be more mysterious. Her motivations are never made fully clear to the viewer: her actions can be interpreted to be helpful to Star or selfish, much as how Glossaryck’s actions were often ambiguous. Eclipsa could be a concerned friend trying to help Star, a devil whispering in her ear, or somewhere in-between.
> 
> In the successive rewrite, my commentary on why I made certain changes will be italicized. You may want to read this with an episode guide (such as the one on Wikipedia) handy. Without further ado, here is Star Vs. The Forces of Evil Season 3: Lunar Eclipse Edition.
> 
> -Prismatic#8234

**Season 2** : Keep exactly the same. The only thing I would change is that Moon, upon entering the Monster Temple in Starcrushed, makes a few comments that suggest or state that she’s been inside before.

 

 **Battle for Mewni** : Keep exactly the same. BfM isn’t perfect but it lays a strong foundation for a season.

 

 **Scent of a Hoodie** : Keep exactly the same. It’s a nice fun cooldown episode after the excitement of Battle for Mewni, and it provides closure to Star’s crush on Marco.

 

 **Rest in Pudding** : Cut this episode entirely. Glossaryck returning as a Pokemon adds nothing to the entire season, nor does this episode have much closure to his relationship with Star. Instead, replace it with:

 

 **Dauntlessfly** : Moon is distraught at the destruction wrought to the kingdom after Ludo and Toffee, and the rebuilding efforts have been slow. A random monster wanders in and does significant collateral damage entirely by accident before Moon manages to scare it away. Moon and River go to Quest Buy to purchase a “security system” for the kingdom and find it in the form of the same type of robotic guards Heinous used to guard Saint Olga’s. Moon supercharges the guards with her magic, transforming them into feminine flying machines that look a bit like Moon in her Royal Butterfly form. She christens them Dauntlessflys.

 

_This addresses one of the glaring issues with Star Vs: Mewni is a very powerful kingdom that rules over many peoples, and yet doesn’t seem to have any sort of army. It also shows that Moon (somewhat rightfully) doesn’t rely on Star to act as the protector of the kingdom now that she has the wand._

 

 **Club Snubbed** : Keep this episode entirely. The only difference is that now Dauntlessflys are present in the room and a few characters remark on how unsettling they are.

  
**Stranger Danger** : Keep this episode, with two deviations. Firstly, Dauntlessflys are present around the castle and Eclipsa mentions to Star something to the effect of “Ironic that you were so desperate to stay out of Saint Olga’s, and now your mother has made the castle look just like that awful place.” The second change is that the Magical High Commission agree with Star that Eclipsa deserves a fair trial- it’s Moon who insists that she be recrystallized on the spot, and she only relents when she realizes she’s alone in that opinion.

 

_The reasons for these two changes are to start laying the seeds for the revised relationship between Star, Moon, and Eclipsa._

 

 **Demoncism** : Keep this episode entirely. It and Club Snubbed provide a strong basis for the evolution of the TomStar relationship.

 

 **Sophomore Slump** : Keep this episode, with one crucial change. At the end of the episode, when Jackie notices the cape under Marco’s hoodie, she begins to cry. Marco clumsily tries to console her, which only makes her more upset- and subsequently angry with Marco for (in Jackie’s eyes) stringing her along when he cared more about Star than her the entire time. She berates him for not knowing what he wants, and then runs (not skateboards) away.

 

_The reason for this change are twofold. Firstly, Jackie lacks depth as a character- she’s overly perfect and unrealistic as a result. Her finally having enough of Marco treating her as an afterthought and chewing him out, with points that are both valid but needlessly hurtful, gives the character additional nuance._

 

_Secondly, this gives Marco a higher-stakes emotional arc. With Jackie dumping him so dramatically, he has nothing left for him in Echo Creek. The character is brought down to zero. This leads us directly into..._

 

 **Lint Catcher** : Keep this episode the same. While I have my problems with it, it works well for the arc I have in mind for Star and Marco- and the lint monster fight is some much-needed levity after the previous episode.

 

 **Trial by Squire** : This episode keeps its title and some of its basic conceits, but is completely altered otherwise. Here’s the new synopsis: Moon is enraged when she finds out Star unilaterally gave Marco run of the castle- she’s grown highly security-conscious since BfM, and only trusted personnel are allowed in the castle now. Marco claims that he’s trustworthy and offers to prove it, so Moon organizes The Squire Games, where Marco must compete against a trio of other squires (including Higgs) in physical contests. Moon expects Marco to lose handily, but thanks to his training against Hekapoo he easily prevails. The other knights are impressed by his skills, but after a pointed glare from Moon they start to berate their squires for their failure. There’s also a subplot similar to the one in the original episode about how Marco takes for granted what these squires worked their butts off to earn, but he points out he helped save the kingdom from Toffee while they were helpless.

 

_Again, this episode advances the tension between Moon and Star, acknowledges Marco’s growth (which is primarily in the area of physical ability,) and shows the beginnings of a gulf between Moon and her subjects._

 

 **Princess Turdina** : Cut this episode. It adds basically nothing except “Hey, remember Miss Heinous exists?” Since Meteora is no longer our endgame for this season, we don’t need it. Replace it with...

 

 **Startorn** : Star is unsure what to do with her wand, as she doesn’t know how to practice without a coach. She asks Moon for help, but Moon is much too busy running the kingdom (still mostly in chaos.) Eclipsa appears to Star and offers her guidance. Star is skeptical but allows Eclipsa to show her some neat tricks. Eclipsa tells Star that she’s distracted and offers her a spell that’ll “help clear your cluttered mind.” The spell transports both of them into an illusory version of Star’s mind. We see that Star views her mother as a hundred foot tall colossus, Marco as one half shining knight and one half bloodsucking monster, and Tom as a monster (the same type as Marco) that is molting out of its skin into a bishonen prince.

As they dodge dangers, Eclipsa expertly squeezes info out of Star about her conflicted relationship with both her mother and Tom and Marco. “My mother had little time for me, either. I know what it’s like to want to rebel,” Eclipsa says. Star: “But I don’t. I want to help rebuild the kingdom, but Mom won’t let me do anything! I saved Mewni and she still treats me like a dumb kid!” Eclipsa: “Then you should prove to your mother that you can do it.”

 

_I want the season to focus much more on Star’s emotions and psychology, and I have a soft spot for any mind-diving sequences. “Uncertainty” is the key word for Star here, and Eclipsa gives her certainty to act- in the way that Eclipsa wants her to act._

 

 **Starfari** : Keep this episode, it’s a great ep that leads well into the conclusion I have planned. The only changes I want to make is that Star mentions the petition in this episode for the first time, and that the crux of Moon’s argument against Star working with monsters is that it’d put Star in danger while the kingdom is still fragile. Star argues that the only way Mewni can be safe is not through overwhelming force, but through friendship with the monster hordes.

 

 **Sweet Dreams** : Keep this episode mostly the same. The biggest change I would make is that Marco is busy with his squire duties, which primarily consist of lots of combat practice against the knights. He’s hesitant to be pulled away from that to help Star and they nearly argue about it. As they’re about to go nose to nose, Star suddenly says, “I don’t want to argue. If you’re too busy, I understand.” Marco agrees to help after that, realizing he has no reason to refuse.

 

 **Lava Lake Beach** : Keep this episode mostly the same- sorry shippers. Two changes, one slight and one significant. The slight change is a mention that Tom has signed Star’s petition. The significant is that instead of the episode ending with Marco and Kelly, it ends with Marco and TOM. They discuss their relations with Star- Marco admits that he can’t help but feel weird around Tom now and Tom replies that’s exactly how he felt whenever he saw Star and Marco together. “I can’t take your place,” Tom tells Marco. “I’m Star’s boyfriend, but I can’t ever be her best friend.”

 

_This shores up the relationship between Marco and Tom, who supposedly considers Diaz his best friend, as well as giving additional depth to why he was such a prick in Seasons 1 and 2- after all, we’ve seen exactly how it feels when Star turns her back on someone._

 

 **Death Peck** : Keep exactly the same.

 

 **Ponymonium** : Keep exactly the same.

 

_I like this episode, although I know many don’t. Believe me, it and Death Peck are being kept in for a good reason- levity is important yes, but also the events of both will show their significance later on._

 

 **Night Life** : Keep mostly the same, with a few changes. Star needs help with the petition, because Mewni is a bureaucratic nightmare- but when Marco’s not on the practice field he’s with Hekapoo because he’s not very interested in monster affairs or paperwork of any sort. Hekapoo even makes a comment to this effect when Marco explains the situation to her: “Wow, and here I thought the princess was the irresponsible one.”

 

_A slight change to help with the throughline of Marco’s character arc in this season, emphasizing the sudden and drastic gap in maturity that’s formed between him and Star._

 

 **Deep Dive** : Keep almost the same. Take out the joke where Janna hypnotizes Marco and replace it with an awkward moment where Marco asks Janna how’s Jackie and she replies “We don’t really hang out. She’s... well, she’s doing too good to hang out with me.”

 

_Just to add a bit of closure to Jackie after her appearance earlier in the season. I also really hated that hypnotism joke so I can’t resist removing it._

 

 **Monster Bash** : Keep the first half and general structure the same. The principal difference is what Mina is guarding beneath the temple: not Meteora’s nursery, but a well of dark magic. Star finds signs that Toffee had been there many years earlier- and signs that Moon had been there too. Rhombulus shows up and crystallizes Mina (who accidentally lets slip to Star that Moon is the one who sent her to guard the temple.) Star mentions to Marco that her mom was doing something with dark magic, and Marco urges her to keep it to herself at least for now.

 

_The revelation that Moon was using the same foul forces of Toffee shocks Star. This is the moment that triggers a shift in the season, from Moon serving as a stifling parent to shifting to the actual antagonist._

 

 **Stump Day:** Keep with some alteration. The Tom and Marco fight is replaced with an argument between Marco and Star- Marco is infuriated that Star is so ungrateful after he put in a huge amount of effort into a birthday party for her, while Star is pissed that Marco wouldn’t spend a minute studying Mewman customs before throwing her an Earth-style party. Tom tries to mediate between them but both Marco and Star get mad at him, expecting that he’d take their side- and soon Tom loses his temper and starts yelling himself, pulling others into the argument, until the entire room is screamingat one another.

 

_While I’m not against a love triangle, I think this episode does a mediocre job of advancing character arcs. The Marco/Tom fistfight makes Star’s general and the prince of demons look like goons and there’s not much buildup to it. Instead we focus on the tension between Marco and Star, and Tom’s own struggles with maturity and anger._

 

 **Holiday Spellcial** : Keep without any alteration. Who doesn’t love Spider with a Top Hat?

 

_That covers the first half of the season. As you can see, I generally made minor tweaks to the episodes. Much more significant changes are made to the second half of the season, as those are the episodes that deal with Meteora and ergo need to be wholly rewritten._


	2. Season 3b

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Season 3a saw me discard and rewrite two episodes. Season 3b sees eight episodes scrapped and all but one undergoing significant alteration. As such, this chapter is a lot longer than the previous one. Again, you may want an episode guide (like the one on Wikipedia) handy. I hope you enjoy it.

**The Bogbeast of Boggabah** : Cut this episode entirely. It's a weak and forgettable episode that adds little. Replace it with...

 

**Partial Eclipsa the Star** : Star, Marco and Tom are sitting in her room, discussing the fact that Moon wielded dark magic at some point, along with her increasingly paranoid and erratic behavior. Marco is freaked out, Tom is somewhat nonchalant (his parents have done worse,) and Star is as usual conflicted. Then Eclipsa pops in through a secret passage. She offers to let Star know exactly what Moon has done. Guiding her through a series of passages (much like the ones she takes Moon through in Butterfly Trap,) Eclipsa reveals a secret deep below the palace: the Royal Archive, which contains the memories of all previous queens. She drops a stolen hair of Moon’s into the water, and it shimmers to reveal Moon when she was Star’s age.

 

 **Total Eclipsa the Moon** : Keep the name of this episode but change everything else. Here is the new synopsis: a stressed, muddy 15-year-old Moon comes back from a long day of fighting monsters. A monster envoy begs to speak with her with an offer of peace, but Moon rebukes him. “I won’t put down my wand so you can sneak attack me,” she snarls. “Peace will only come when I’m sure monsters will never threaten Mewni again.” Glossaryck points out to her that she hasn’t lived up to the terms of her agreement with Eclipsa- she promised to release her when Toffee was defeated, but she remains trapped. Moon reveals that corruption is climbing up her arm, and is running out of time: she’ll either free Eclipsa or die. Moon steadfastly refuses to free Eclipsa- “the last thing we need in the middle of a war is a succession crisis! There can be no challenges to my throne!”

Glossaryck casually mentions that the agreement was magically binding and so can only be broken through magical means. Moon remembers a well of dark magic discovered during the hunt for Toffee and goes to the monster temple. She dips her arm and the wand into the well of dark magic, allowing her to exit the terms of her binding agreement with Eclipsa- but introducing dark corruption into the wand. The same corruption that Toffee amplified across Season 2.

Star pops out of the flashback and realizes that (indirectly) the events of S2 were all Moon’s fault. “A queen can’t do that,” she says angrily. “Nobody can do that.” Eclipsa: “Well, what are you going to do about it... bearer of the wand?”

 

_ The reveal that Moon’s flirtation of dark magic nearly got everyone killed because she refused to keep her word to Eclipsa makes for a much more impactful reveal than ones relating to Festivia (a character we never meet) and the fact that Star isn’t of royal blood (which is fundamentally meaningless.) Instead we see how Moon’s sin decades prior set in motion the events of the show, how her personal failings are responsible for the massive suffering wrought by Toffee- and how much horror she inflicted on the Monsters. _

 

**Butterfly Trap** : Keep the name, trial and the basic structure, but the events are completely different.  Eclipsa’s trial begins, with Moon and the MHC presiding as judges. Star pushes for the use of the Truth or Punishment Cube to ensure all that is said is verifiable. When Eclipsa asks a question of her own, she simply asks: “Queen Moon, are you responsible for the corruption of dark magic into the wand?” Compelled to honesty by the Cube, Moon admits to what she did, but defends her actions as necessary. “All I’ve done, I’ve done for this kingdom!” Moon shouts. “I don’t have the luxury of a choice between the ‘right’ and the ‘wrong’ thing- any decision I make is going to hurt someone. That’s what being queen means.” Star, her confidence in her mother shattered, demands that Moon step down and face trial for her actions- but Moon refuses and calls for the MHC to lock Star away until Star “sees the situation clearly.” Star fights back, grabs Eclipsa, and flees from the castle.

 

_ Again, you can see how the theme of uncertainty ties into this episode. Moon made a choice: to Star it’s unambiguously wrong, but Moon sees it as the better of two bad choices. This is the formal break in relations between mother and daughter, and from here we move directly to our showdown for the throne. From here, I’ll change almost everything to better lead into our new climax. _

 

**Ludo, Where Art Thou** : Keep this episode, but swap its place with Marco Jr.

 

_ This episode is so compellingly weird that I can’t bear to cut it. It’s so screwed up, I love it. _

 

**Is Another Mystery** : Cut this episode entirely- I like it, but it no longer fits in. Instead, replace with:

 

**The Queen of Mewmans and Monsters** : Dauntlessflys comb the countryside searching for Star. She evades them by hiding in the Monster Village along her retainers: Eclipsa, Marco, and Tom. Star has no clue what to do: she can’t return to the castle without being arrested. After some deliberation and monster antics, Eclipsa calmly recommends that Star just seize the throne. “You have the wand, your power equals or exceeds your mother’s,” she says. “There’s no need to hurt Moon- but this is the only way she’ll ever answer for her crimes.” Star is hesitant, and Tom thinks the idea is insane, but Marco agrees that it’s the only way. Star: “Okay, say I do this. My mom has a huge army of robots! I have three friends.” Buff Frog: “No, Star. You have army.” The monster village, Ludo’s henchmen, the monster teens, and others emerge. “We will fight for you, fight for a queen who fought for us when no one else would. Fight for a Queen of Mewmans  _ and  _ Monsters!”

 

_ The monsters packing up and leaving Mewni was a very unsatisfying ending to their subplot in S3. Here, we get pay-off for all the various monster factions introduced in previous seasons, and show how Star’s empathy for the Monsters- and Moon’s cruelty towards them- now reap their dividends. _

 

**Marco Jr** : Keep this episode, but swap its place with Ludo, Where Art Thou? to better fit with the timeline and to explain where the boys were during the trial. Make one major change: Tom is the one who goes with Marco instead of Star (who is busy with the trial.) Just like Star, Tom fills out the questionnaire about Marco’s preferences. Marco: “Dude, you’re my best friend, but I didn’t think you knew me that well.” Tom: “Well... Star talks about you, like, all the time. I picked a few things up.”

 

_ Yes, I really want Tom and Marco to have a bromance in this season, with their relationship getting as much attention as the one between Marco and Star as well as Tom and Star. I want to tweak the love triangle into these three being three nexus points of the show’s core relationships, with complicated and emotionally rich relationships with one another. _

_ In this case, just as Star feels conflicted about how her relationship with one of the boys affects the other, both boys feel the presence of Star even when she isn’t there. Marco is jealous that Tom is dating Star and has that romantic relationship. Tom still feels like he’s the second-most important person to Star no matter what he does. This doesn’t break their friendship, but it does test and strain it. _

 

Skooled: Cut this episode entirely. All the Meteora-centric episodes are being scrapped in favor of lead-up to our new climax.

 

**Day of the Demon** : Tom invites Star down to the underworld for Demon Day, the celebration of the foundation of the Kingdom of the Underworld. Star thinks an alliance with the demons is crucial for her effort to seize the throne: they’re a very powerful kingdom, and their role as half-monsters half-Mewmans could help bridge the gap between the other Mewman kingdoms and Star’s monster army. Star plans to beseech Tom’s parents, only to see that Moon has beaten her there. Moon scolds Star for not immediately asking the underworld for aid and tells her that this will be her last chance to return home- otherwise, Moon will take the wand and “put you away until I can figure out what to do with you.”    
  
Defiantly, Star makes her case to Tom’s parents, focusing on the future of Mewni that she wants to create. Moon rebutts that the most recent demon/Mewman treaties were signed with her, and the demons can’t fight her without breaking them. Chagrined, the Lucitors choose to remain neutral and support whoever next holds the Butterfly throne. Tom insists that he’s going to help Star, even if he has to abdicate to do so- his father is appalled, but his mother grants him permission.   
  
The episode ends with Moon asking Star why she didn’t mention Moon’s use of dark magic to the Lucitors. Star: “They’re demons, hello? Why would they care about that?” Moon smiles bitterly, realizing she’s raised a fine young queen- and a dangerous opponent.

 

_ This episode would be pretty jam-packed with stuff, but I think it could all fit in. It covers a great deal of ground: the nature of the underworld (a big piece of missing backstory from the show,) Tom’s relationship with his parents, Star’s first meeting with her mother since fleeing the castle, and most importantly the similarities between Moon and Star. It’s also a Marco-free episode where we see how well Tom and Star work as a political unit, as they were both raised in court unlike the civilian Marco. _

 

**Booth Buddies** : I’m going to keep the Starco kiss because I think it’s an important moment. However, most of the context around it will be changed:

 

**Cave Companions** : Star and Marco go to meet with one of Buff Frog’s spies who says he has urgent information about the castle defenses- only for the monster (I’m thinking Meat Fork from Season 2) to reveal that he’s a double agent for Moon. Dauntlessflys attack Star, and the duo make their escape, running and hiding in a disgusting cave full of mud and bugs. Star plans to wait until nightfall, then sneak out and back to camp, but Marco insists the two of them can take the dozens of Dauntlessflys. Star scolds him: “Marco, don’t be so reckless.” Marco gets a dazed look and walks off to the other side of the cave to sulk.

When Star approaches him, Marco tells her “It used to be that I was the responsible one. I was the one who said, ‘Star, don’t do that!’ And now it’s you.” They mutually acknowledge the tension between them all season. Marco tells Star, “You’ve become such an incredible person, Star. You went from this... crazy girl who broke everything she touched to this brave, confident, grown-up general queen boss lady. And I’m... still the same dumb kid I always was. I just can’t help but wonder, why are you keeping me around?”

Star replies: “Brave? Marco, I’ve never been scared in my life. I can’t sleep, I can’t eat, all I can think about is how I’ve ruined my entire life and now my mom is going to send me to a place so bad that it makes Saint O’s look like... like your living room with the TV on. Because that was the happiest place I can think of, Marco- sitting there, eating nachos with you. If you weren’t here, I think I’d just... fall apart in a day or two. I need you, Marco.”   
  
Marco: “So I’m just... happy memories to you? That’s all?”

Star: “No! No... ugh, listen. Eclipsa, Buff Frog, my mom and dad, even Tom, they want what’s best for me. You, Marco... you want me to have what I want, because you’re the only one who trusts me to know what I want. My whole life, that’s all I ever was. Star the Stupid, Star the Hasty, Star the Ball of Chaos. Something to be contained and controlled and molded. Not someone to just be... to just be...”   
  
Marco: “Star.”   


Star: “Yeah.”

They kiss. Moments after pulling apart, Star is again hit by the fact she just cheated on Tom- and Marco by the fact he just kissed his best friend’s girlfriend. They both feel deeply awkward, ashamed, and yet glad it happened. They then hear fighting outside to find Tom and the Monster Army have fought off the Dauntlessflys. Marco stammers an excuse about joining the Monsters to go find the traitorous Meat Fork, while Tom asks Star if everything is all right.   
  
Star: “Well... umm... what matters is that nobody got hurt!”

 

_ Booth Buddies is an episode meant to tie together the arcs of Star and Marco in the season up until that point. In my opinion, it does a good job of tying together two fairly weak arcs. By focusing more on not only Star’s growth, but Marco’s recklessness and fragile ego and reaction to how Star has changed, Cave Companions gives both of them an opportunity to lay their cards on the table, acknowledge how they feel, and realize that they’re both completely in love with one another. Think of it as Booth Buddies Deluxe. _

 

**Bam Ui Pati** : Ew. Delete this immediately. Replace it with...

 

**Conference with a Pony** : Star is frantically preparing her army’s shoddy campsite for the delegations of several prospective allies. Marco tries to help but Star avoids him, not knowing what to say. Tom asks Marco what Star’s deal is and he dodges the question out of shame. The guests arrive: Pony Head, Rich Pigeon, Larry Kelpbottom, and Princess Spiderbite. Star tries to make a speech about how they need to work together to build a better Mewni, but keeps getting distracted by Marco and Tom (who are doing very little.) Larry Kelpbottom speaks up and says he only humored Star’s offer but surface world affairs don’t really interest him. Princess Spiderbite is uncomfortable with teaming up with monsters, offending Buff Frog who begins to argue with her. Things seem to be verging on another giant shouting match, but then Pony Head of all people speaks up. She makes a speech on Star’s behalf about how much “B-Fly” has grown, and how they should all be looking to her as an example for what royalty should be. “You’ve got my support, girl.” Rich Pigeon also agrees to lend his support, while Larry and Spiderbite wish her luck but pledge nothing. Star’s Army of the Underestimated is set.

 

_ Bam Ui Pati is a pretty worthless and terrible episode. It’s much too late in the season for something like that- so here’s an episode that’s lighter in tone while advancing character and plot. It pays off the various royals introduced in Club Snubbed and showing that for all she’s grown, Star is still a teenage girl who can’t focus on the war she’s fighting because she doesn’t know which boy to date. I also wanted to make Pony Head useful for a change and remind the viewers that she and Star are friends for a reason- and show that Star is nothing without her friends and supporters. _

 

**Tough Love** : Again, cut this Meteora-centric episode and replace it with...

 

**Papa Dearest** : River is sitting at the castle as General Mina Loveberry reports to Queen Moon that an army flying Star’s banners is marching towards them. Moon orders the castle fortified and for the MHC to be kept on standby, and for Mewni to prepare for war. River asks his wife if all this is really necessary, and if she and Star can’t simply talk their way through their disagreements. “We’ll talk,” Moon says. “I’ll make her understand. But first I’m going to crush this silly little rebellion- it’s the perfect way to show everyone that Mewni is a strong kingdom again.” River is distraught, so at night he sneaks out of the fortified castle and makes his way to Star’s warcamp.

The warcamp lacks the elegance of Moon’s forces, but morale is high. River sees pigeons and pony head air cavalry, monster foot soldiers, and even a few Mewman soldiers who have defected to join Star. He approaches her tent, only to be captured by Marco who is standing guard. He brings River in to see Star, who is clad in war-paint and skins, looking rather bestial. She’s happy to see River but quickly grows suspicious of his intentions, and he assures her he only wants to talk.

River tells Star that he and Moon both love her more than anything, and that while he understands her anger a battle will do nothing but get many people hurt. He begs her to negotiate with Moon rather than bring her forces to bear against the castle. Star replies: “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt Mom. She’s going to understand what she did wrong, and that not even queens can do whatever they want without consequences. Soon, this will all just be a bad memory.”

Defeated, River sulks back to the castle- only to find Moon, Mina and the MHC waiting for him. Moon angrily asks if he’s spying for Star and he insists he didn’t, he just wants peace- but she doesn’t believe him. She orders Rhombulus to crystallize him, and hesitantly Rhombulus does so. Hekapoo asks an enraged Moon if she’s all right. “There’s no one I can trust,” Moon snaps. “That’s the burden of my throne. Not one soul in this world who I can trust.”

 

_ This episode serves a few purposes. Firstly, it’s meant to give River something to do. Part of his character as we saw in S2 and BfM is his feelings of helplessness- here we further explore that, with River unable to even prevent the two most precious people in the world to him from fighting. We also see how Moon and Star are similar and different: Star is surrounded by friends and allies while Moon is alone, her only allies being the MHC and an army of unthinking machines. However, they’re both intent on making the other “understand”, as they both have bought into the fallacy that they can force others to see the world from their perspective via brute force. This ties back into the theme of uncertainty: neither Moon nor Star are sure of their actions, but this is the burden of leadership. Not only do they have to fake being sure, they have to force others to feel the same. Finally, this episode is meant to be the last piece of buildup before the climactic showdown at Mewni Castle. _

 

**Divide and Conquer** : Still a finale that deals with a Battle for Mewni Castle, but now the context is entirely different:

 

**Undaunted** : Moon and Star both make speeches before their assembled forces: Moon’s army is Dauntlessflys and Mewman soldiers led by Mina and the Magical High Commission, while Star’s is Monsters, Ponies, Pigeons and Mewmans led by Tom, Marco, Rich, Pony Head, and Buff Frog. Moon’s speech focuses on how she has crushed countless threats to Mewni before, and this will be no different. Star’s focuses on how Mewni has been static and unchanging for centuries, and now is the time for it to grow up. They end on the same line: “When they write the history of today, they’ll write that the Army of Moon the Undaunted/ Star the Underestimated fought like heroes and saved Mewni!”

Star steps down from the podium to be approached by Tom, who tells her he’s against the plan she’s hatched: to sneak into the castle and fight Moon. Star replies that the enemy will give up if Moon does, and that the Queen’s magic is far too dangerous for any of her subordinates to stand against. “Besides, this is something... I have to do myself.” Tom goes to kiss Star, but after a moment she breaks away and walks off. Tom asks Marco what’s wrong, and he stammers something out.

Marco joins Star as she surveys Mewni castle in the distance. He tells her that he won’t let her down in leading her forces. Star doesn’t say anything, she just wordlessly turns to Marco and hugs him. “I’m scared,” she whispers. “Me too,” Marco says.

Marco sits his elite forces down and goes over their strategy. The biggest threat are Moon’s lieutenants, he says. Marco will handle Hekapoo, Buff Frog’s wits make him the best match for the powerful-but-simple Rhombulus, Rich and Pony Head will take care of Omnitraxis Prime, and Tom’s raw power is the only thing that can match Mina’s magic. He goes to ask Eclipsa what she’ll do in the battle, only to find she’s vanished from the command tent.   


Eclipsa has gone to Star and asks to come with her. “Your mother cost me everything,” she says. “I’d like to... be there when all this happens. If you lose, I’ll be recrystallized within a few days anyways.” Star agrees.

The sun rises in the next morning to find both armies assembled: Marco and his elites at the front of the Army of the Underestimated, Mina and the MHC at the front of the Army of the Dauntless. Marco and Mina make eye contact, then yell “attack!” from each side of the field. The armies clash: Mewmans fight hand-to-hand with Monsters while the air grows thick with the fighting of Ponies and Pigeons against Dauntlessflys.

Marco rides on Nachos back and fights Hekapoo, who continuously portals in and out around him. Pony Head and Rich fly around Omnitraxis’ head as he swats at them, while Buff Frog lures Rhombulus into a woody area and uses the trees as cover from his crystallizing blasts. Tom and Mina lock blades.

Meanwhile, Star uses one of Eclipsa’s secret tunnels to make her way towards the castle. As they go, Star asks Eclipsa: “were you scared when you ran away from Mewni?” Eclipsa: “Positively terrified. But I went, because I knew it was the right thing to do.” Star: “But you were queen. You could have had a family, a life. Instead you got...” Eclipsa: “Why do you think I’m here, Star? So what happened to me never happens to anyone else.”

They arrive in the castle to find it eerily abandoned. Star makes her way up to the balcony that would overlook the battlefield, only for Moon to be absent. After a moment, Moon appears from behind a pillar, opening a portal and throwing Eclipsa through it. Star and Moon face off. Star: “Queen Moon the Undaunted.” Moon: “Queen Star the Underestimated.”

 

**Underestimated** : Star and Moon both go into their Royal Butterfly forms and take to the sky, fighting around and over the castle. As they fight, they argue with one another: Moon calls Star a spoiled brat who thinks she has the entire world figured out, who doesn’t understand the burdens and challenges of queendom, who has caused enormous destruction through her rebelliousness. Star counters that Moon is a tyrant who has just continued the centuries-old tradition of Butterfly queens using force and violence to rule the kingdom, who believes she can do whatever she likes without consequences just because she sits on the throne, who forced Star into rebellion. The war of words is reflected in their fighting: Moon is the more aggressive of the two, but Star is faster and evades her attacks. The castle is battered by their exchanges of blasts.

Meanwhile outside the castle, the battle continues to rage with neither side able to gain the advantage. Marco is nearly defeated by Hekapoo who has him surrounded with her doppelgangers. Marco tries his adult voice on Hekapoo but it doesn’t work- so instead, he beseeches her to stand down. “I won’t give up. This is for Star’s sake, and for her... I’d fight you and lose to you a thousand times,” Marco says. To his surprise, Hekapoo doesn’t finish him off. Instead she ruefully teleports out without a word.

Omnitraxis Prime is having troubles with Pony Head and Rich Pigeon until he remembers he can grow to giant size and swat them out of the sky. He slaps Rich down and goes for Pony too- but she fires a beam from her horn directly into his skull, knocking him senseless. Buff Frog lures Rhombulus into a pit trap, only for Rhombulus to create a staircase out of crystal and make his escape. He’s about to crystallize Buff Frog when Katrina and the other Buff Babies leap out and cover his eye, allowing Buff Frog to redirect the blast into Rhombulus who crystallizes himself by accident.

Marco goes to join Tom, who is getting his butt kicked by Mina. The two of them fight her, but the general’s strength is overwhelming. Tom takes an injury and Marco tells him to withdraw. “There’s no way you can fight her on your own,” Tom says. Marco: “I... I kissed Star.” Tom appears to run away after that, but as soon as Mina has Marco on the ropes, Tom blasts her from behind. Marco: “I thought you left.” Tom: “I did too. But I couldn’t leave my best friend.” They go to rejoin the larger battle, only for Mina to activate the Dauntlessfly’s “Murder Machine Protocol” which makes them far more aggressive and destructive.   


We cut back to Moon and Star’s battle, which has damaged and destroyed nearly the entire castle. Both are visibly tired, until finally Moon manages a square hit against Star which sends her out of Royal Butterfly form and crashing down to the same balcony the fight began. Moon hovers over the prone Star, preparing to finish her off, but hesitates. “I trusted you to succeed me as the defender of the kingdom, but you failed,” Moon says. “You don’t deserve to carry that wand!”

Star: “Well then, take it back!” She raises it and blasts Moon, sending the queen out of Royal Butterfly form and crashing down at Star’s feet. Star holds the wand over Moon’s head, her hands shaking and tears rolling down her cheeks as she looks at her beaten, ragged mother.

Star looks past Moon and sees the fighting. Monsters swarming Mewmans, Dauntlessflys using their weapons on pigeons and Pony Heads. Marco and Tom desperately fighting against Dauntlessflys, both obviously on the verge of collapse. Moon meanwhile looks around at the collapsing castle. They mutually realize that their inability to reconcile their differences is responsible for all this destruction.

Instead of defeating Moon, Star offers her hand. “I don’t deserve to be queen,” she says. Moon: “...Neither do I.” They both walk to the balcony and order for their troops to stand down. The fighting ends abruptly, with all the fighters looking up at Moon and Star in confusion- except the rogue Dauntlessflys.   
  
Star: “What do we do now?” Moon: “I have no idea. I can’t stop them” They stare a moment longer before they hear a portal open behind them. Eclipsa steps out. “If neither of you want the throne, I suppose I could hold onto it,” she says brightly. “I am a Butterfly after all.”   
  
Moon opens her mouth to protest, but doesn’t. Star hands her the wand, and Eclipsa floats past the mother/daughter. With a few of her powerful spells, she destroys the Dauntlessflys. Eclipsa floats off to find Globgor.

The last shot of the season is Star walking through the battlefield, past all the destruction and the wounded. Marco and Tom run up to her and she hugs them both. “Star... what happens now?” Marco asks. Star buries her face into his shoulder and doesn’t answer.

 

_ This finale is focused on the irony of after saving the castle in Battle for Mewni, Star is the one who destroys it. Besides the obvious message of Moon and Star destroying what they were both convinced they were going to save, and the ambiguity of how much of Eclipsa’s actions were in Star’s interest and how much were her gambit to take the throne for herself with no challengers, and the ultimate pay-off to a season of build in the relationships between Tom, Marco, and Star, this is ultimately meant to be a “fireworks factory” of a finale: one focused on the characters resolving their conflict through battle- and ultimately, through mercy and empathy rather than destruction. _

 

_ So there you have it. This is my rewrite of Season 3. Some things were kept the same. Many things were changed. In my opinions, this is a more focused and intriguing buildup to a more satisfying, emotionally rich and exciting finale. I hope you enjoyed reading. _


End file.
